1. Technical Field of the Invention
This invention relates to seats located within bathrooms, and more particularly, to a moveable seat having a readily accessible basket.
2. Description of Related Art
Many elderly and disabled people require assistance in bathing. It is quite common for nurses to bathe their patients by sitting the patient upon a stool within a shower stall. The nurse then bathes the seated patient. However, it can be a very cumbersome process for the nurse to bathe the patient. First of all, the required bathing supplies (e.g., wash towels, brush, soap, shampoo, etc.) are not always within arms reach. Also, many times the nurse must hold the patient upright with one hand while simultaneously bathing the patient with the other hand. If the bathing supplies are not immediately available, the nurse must let go of the patient and quickly retrieve the bathing supplies. This can be dangerous to the patient who may be left unsupported during the retrieval process. Additionally, many times, the nurse must move around the patient to bathe the patient from different sides. A seat is needed which allows the nurse to maintain support to a patient while providing ready access to the bathing supplies.
Although there are no known prior art teachings of a device such as that disclosed herein, prior art references that discuss subject matter that bears some relation to matters discussed herein are U.S. Pat. No. 4,061,395 to Boole (Boole), U.S. Pat. No. 4,453,279 to Logsdon (Logsdon), and U.S. Pat. No. 5,168,583 to Wanke (Wanke).
Boole discloses a portable drawer for use under a four-legged chair. The drawer includes an enclosure having an open top and whose width is selectively adjustable for positioning of the enclosure between the four legs. The enclosure is mounted on the four legs for sliding movement into and out of the space between the four legs. Boole does disclose a drawer slidably attached to the underside of a chair. However, Boole does not disclose a basket which may be slid out from under a horizontal surface either from a forward or aft position. In addition, Boole does not disclose utilizing a slide assembly to reinforce the leg structure. Boole also does not teach or suggest a basket which may be affixed against the edge of the horizontal surface of the chair.
Logsdon discloses a bath rack assembly for use in a bath or shower stall having a bath seat appliance to store and retain toiletries and bathing materials within reach of a person utilizing the bath seat appliance. The bath rack assembly has an attachment bar which removably hooks onto the bath seat appliance and has a floor, back, and at least one retaining bar to retain the toiletries and bathing materials on the bath rack assembly. The floor and back of the rack assembly are also generally porous to prevent retaining of bathing water. A retaining bar is provided for attachment of a razor blade shaving device. A generally horizontal grid apparatus is attached to the retaining bar to provide a storage position for a bar of soap. Although Logsdon discloses a device providing access to shower supplies, Logsdon does not teach or suggest a stool having reinforced railing to supplement the structural integrity of the seat structure. Additionally, Logsdon does not teach or suggest a basket which is slidably attached to the underside of the shower seat.
Wanke discloses a hygiene seat for handicapped persons which includes a rim having two cooperating tubes. The tubes are adjusted in an axial direction. In addition, the underside of the rim include guide rails for receiving a tube or a board. Although Wanke discloses a tub which slides underneath a seat, Wanke does not teach or suggest utilizing the guide rails to reinforce the strength of the seat. In addition, Wanke does not teach or suggest affixing the tube adjacent the horizontal surface of the seat.
It would be a distinct advantage to have a shower seat which allows a nurse to easily retrieve bathing supplies, improves the structural strength of the seat, and allows a basket to be affixed next to an edge of the horizontal surface of the seat. It is an object of the present invention to provide such an apparatus.
In one aspect, the present invention is a portable seat assembly for use by a person bathing in a shower or bath stall. The seat assembly includes a horizontal surface constructed of a rigid material. The seat assembly also includes a first support having a first leg, a second leg, and a first brace support connecting the first leg to the second leg. The seat assembly also includes a second support having a third leg, a fourth leg and a second brace support connecting the third leg to the fourth leg. The first brace support is affixed to an underside of the horizontal surface with the second brace support diagonally lying across the first brace support on the underside of the horizontal surface. In addition, the seat assembly includes a basket slidably mounted to the underside of the horizontal surface and two guide rails for supporting the two overhanging edges of the basket on the underside of the horizontal surface.
In another aspect, the present invention is a portable seat assembly for use by a person bathing. The seat assembly includes a horizontal surface constructed of a rigid material and four support legs attached to an underside of the horizontal surface. A basket is slidably mounted to the underside of the horizontal surface.
In still another aspect, the present invention is a portable seat assembly for use by a person bathing having, a horizontal surface constructed of a rigid material. The horizontal surface has a plurality of holes. A first support having a first leg, a second leg, and a first brace support connecting the first leg to the second leg is mounted on the underside of the horizontal surface. A second support having a third leg, a fourth leg and a second brace support connecting the third leg to the fourth leg is also mounted diagonally across the first brace support on the underside of the horizontal surface. A basket is slidably mounted to the underside of the horizontal surface. The basket includes a generally horizontal bottom surface and four generally vertical sides affixed to the bottom surface. The four sides and bottom surface form an enclosure for storing shower supplies. The basket also includes two overhanging edges extending outwardly from a top portion of two opposing sides of the basket. Two guide rails are also mounted on the underside of the horizontal surface. Each guide rail forms a lip to support each overhanging edge of the basket. In addition, an adjustable rod is affixed to the horizontal surface and extends from the edge of the horizontal surface to retain the basket against the edge of the horizontal surface.